25 years old and deep in debt

[garbon]

How will that happen? Wouldn't there need to be more jobs than people seeking jobs?

Less people available who have degrees.

So kids are going to give up on having degrees so that they then stand no chance at competing with their peers?

[Eddie Teach]

Okay, Gral. So you think this will end in violent revolution?

Sounds like a plan. To the barricades!

[CountDeMoney]

The college grads working at that law firm are comparatively lucky. At my firm, we have a couple recent college grads doing office clerk type work and they make like $8 an hour.

That's dreadful.

That's what I've been reduced to applying for these days.
As long as it comes with medical benefits, I'll just have to suck it up.

[HVC]

The college grads working at that law firm are comparatively lucky. At my firm, we have a couple recent college grads doing office clerk type work and they make like $8 an hour.

That's dreadful.

One of them is an art school grad ( ) with like $40,000 or $50,000 in college debt. He's a receptionist and accounting clerk.

how dare he take work away from real accountants. scab!


Also, why is anyone still dropping that cash for a useless degree in this day and age?

[garbon]

The college grads working at that law firm are comparatively lucky. At my firm, we have a couple recent college grads doing office clerk type work and they make like $8 an hour.

That's dreadful.

That's what I've been reduced to applying for these days.
As long as it comes with medical benefits, I'll just have to suck it up.

What is that like 16k a year?

[CountDeMoney]

Like other employers across the country, the firm hires only people with a bachelor's degree, even for jobs that do not require college-level skills.

This prerequisite applies to everyone, including the receptionist, paralegals, administrative assistants and file clerks. Even the office "runner" — the in-house courier who, for $10 an hour, ferries documents back and forth between the courthouse and the office — went to a four-year school.

"College graduates are just more career-oriented," said Adam Slipakoff, the firm's managing partner. "Going to college means they are making a real commitment to their futures. They're not just looking for a paycheck."
...
"I am over $100,000 in student loan debt right now," said Megan Parker, who earns $37,000 as the firm's receptionist. She graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2011 with a degree in fashion and retail management, and spent months waiting on "bridezillas" at a couture boutique, among other stores, while churning out office-job applications.

And there ya go;  college graduates are more apt to take anything they can to get out of debt, even if it means to allow employers to perpetuate wage stagnation.

[garbon]

The college grads working at that law firm are comparatively lucky. At my firm, we have a couple recent college grads doing office clerk type work and they make like $8 an hour.

That's dreadful.

One of them is an art school grad ( ) with like $40,000 or $50,000 in college debt. He's a receptionist and accounting clerk.

how dare he take work away from real accountants. scab!


Also, why is anyone still dropping that cash for a useless degree in this day and age?

I think you should clarify that last question, otherwise it is too easy.

[garbon]

Like other employers across the country, the firm hires only people with a bachelor's degree, even for jobs that do not require college-level skills.

This prerequisite applies to everyone, including the receptionist, paralegals, administrative assistants and file clerks. Even the office "runner" — the in-house courier who, for $10 an hour, ferries documents back and forth between the courthouse and the office — went to a four-year school.

"College graduates are just more career-oriented," said Adam Slipakoff, the firm's managing partner. "Going to college means they are making a real commitment to their futures. They're not just looking for a paycheck."
...
"I am over $100,000 in student loan debt right now," said Megan Parker, who earns $37,000 as the firm's receptionist. She graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2011 with a degree in fashion and retail management, and spent months waiting on "bridezillas" at a couture boutique, among other stores, while churning out office-job applications.

And there ya go;  college graduates are more apt to take anything they can to get out of debt, even if it means to allow employers to perpetuate wage stagnation.

Actually that's a bit suspicious. She got a degree in fashion and retail management - and though working at a couture boutique was looking for office jobs. Doesn't sound like she was very committed to her future.

[stjaba]

how dare he take work away from real accountants. scab!

I think he's basically doing some sort of data entry, not "real accounting."

[CountDeMoney]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

[Ideologue]

No College Degree? No Job, Even as a File Clerk

'Megan Parker, right, is a receptionist at the Atlanta law office of Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh, which hires only those with a bachelor's degree. The firm is far from alone.

The college degree is becoming the new high school diploma: the new minimum requirement, albeit an expensive one, for getting even the lowest-level job.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/college-degree-required-by-increasing-number-of-companies.html

The college grads working at that law firm are comparatively lucky. At my firm, we have a couple recent college grads doing office clerk type work and they make like $8 an hour.

If that receptionist doesn't want her job, I'll take it.  It's a lateral.

[garbon]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Yuck, sorry man.

[CountDeMoney]

Yuck, sorry man.

It's rough out here, bro.

[garbon]

http://nation.time.com/2013/02/20/stanford-university-is-1st-college-to-raise-1b/

Stanford University is 1st College to Raise $1B

Stanford University has set a new record for college fundraising, becoming the first school to collect more than $1 billion in a single year, according to a report released Wednesday.

For the eighth straight year, Stanford ranked first in the Council for Aid to Education's annual college fundraising survey, which shows that elite institutions continue to grab a disproportionate share of donor dollars.

In the 2012 fiscal year, roughly 3,500 U.S. colleges and universities raised $31 billion, 2.3 percent more than the previous year. The record was set in 2008 when schools took in $31.6 billion before fundraising dropped during the height of the financial crisis.

"We're climbing out of the doldrums," said survey director Ann Kaplan. "We haven't returned to the high point of 2008, but we're approaching it. I think you can say that about a lot of industries."

Topping the list was Stanford at $1.035 billion, followed by Harvard University at $650 million, Yale University at $544 million, the University of Southern California at $492 million and Columbia University at $490 million.

The top 10 fundraising colleges collected $5.3 billion, or 17 percent, of the $31 billion, even though they represent only 0.3 percent of the 3,500 accredited, nonprofit schools included in the survey.

Stanford benefited from a surge in donations at the end of its multi-year Stanford Challenge fundraising campaign, which netted $6.2 billion. It also benefited from the successful launch of a $1 billion campaign for its medical school and hospitals.

The 10-campus University of California system raised $1.56 billion, which doesn't include money collected by its individual campuses. UC Berkeley was the leading fundraiser among all public universities, taking in $405 million.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford's alumni list includes the founders of major tech companies like Yahoo Inc. who have given to the school in recent years.

Stanford raised 46 percent more in its 2012 fiscal year than the $709 million it collected in 2011 and surpassed its previous record of $911 million set in 2006. The $1.035 billion haul is equal to nearly $56,000 for each of its roughly 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students, though much of the money will be used for research and construction.

By contrast, San Jose State University, a public college 20 miles away, raised $14 million, which is equal to $450 for each of its 31,000 students.

Stanford received donations from nearly 79,000 donors, including $100 million of a $150 million gift from Silicon Valley investor Robert King and his wife Dorothy to establish the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies.

"We are in awe and remain humbled by this kind of response. It was a remarkable showing of generosity," said Martin Shell, Stanford's vice president for development. "Higher education for most people represents hope for a better future, and donors want to invest in that."

[merithyn]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Does your COBRA last until December 31, 2013? If so, you'll be able to get individual health insurance coverage, regardless of your pre-existing conditions. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than COBRA, and you will no longer be allowed to be denied based on your health. Expect around $300-400/month premiums with a $2500-5000 deductible at your age.

I would keep an eye on this company (http://getmdhealthcare.com/), as they're the ones offering the Pre-Existing Condition insurance now. You're not eligible until you've been without any health insurance for six months, which means you're pretty much out until January 1, 2014. At that time, however, I'd apply to the Get MD Healthcare place because they'll already have policies in place, and they'll already have experience dealing with the Feds regarding what they can and cannot do. It's going to be the best option for you at least for the first year. They will most likely have the best rates, too, because they will have raised their other rates across the board to cover the Pre-Ex stuff last year and the year before.



Hopefully, you'll have an amazing job before this becomes an issue, but in the meantime, this might help.